Union Pacific Ordered to Pay $304K for Firing Worker After He Raised Safety Concerns
- The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has ordered Union Pacific Railroad Co. to pay a North Little Rock, Arkansas yardman $304,869 in back wages, lost benefits, compensatory and punitive damages, and attorney’s fees for firing him after he refused to work during a lightning storm.
- OSHA said the employee notified management about nearby lightning, citing federal safety standards and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration guidelines, and initiated a safety stand-down, refusing to work until the storm passed.
- Union Pacific removed the employee from service within minutes, charged him with insubordination, and terminated his employment on May 30, 2024.
- Union Pacific has objected to the order and requested a hearing before a U.S. Department of Labor administrative law judge, so the matter remains subject to further proceedings.
OSHA Proposes $496K in Fines Against Brick Maker Over Silica Exposure
- The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed $496,528 in penalties against General Shale Brick Inc., doing business as Watsontown Brick Company in Pennsylvania, after citing the company with three willful and four serious violations for allegedly exposing workers to unsafe levels of respirable silica dust.
- The citations followed an inspection conducted as part of OSHA’s Site-Specific Targeting plan and national emphasis program on silica, which found workers in Plant 3, where molded brick is produced, were exposed to silica dust above safe limits.
- Investigators determined the company failed to test workers’ respirator fit annually, didn’t establish regulated areas where employees faced silica exposure, didn’t monitor silica exposure levels for all affected jobs and failed to provide required medical exams for workers exposed to silica more than 30 days a year.
- The company has 15 business days to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Survey: 75% of Emergency Medical Workers Exposed to Violence
- A global survey of 1,306 emergency department and emergency medical services professionals across 81 countries found three-quarters witnessed workplace violence in the past year, with 69% experiencing psychological harm and 40% experiencing physical harm, according to a study published Sept. 24 in the European Journal of Emergency Medicine.
- Verbal aggression was the most common form of violence (88%), followed by physical assault (42%), with patients identified as the primary perpetrators.
- Leading contributors to incidents included alcohol or drug intoxication and emergency department crowding.
- Only half of respondents had received formal violence-prevention training and just three in five had access to psychosocial support following violent incidents.